Improvement in mastic roofing



@rumen` @raras Partnr ENCE...

IMPROVEMENT I N MASTIC ROOFING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. EHLGQ, dated April ll,1871.

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN CIPPERLEY, of Galesville, in the county ofVashington, and in the State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mastic Roofing; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, making a part of this specifcation.

The nature of my invention consists in a composition for mastic roofing,and in an improved mode of applying the same, as will be hereinafterfully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describeitsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichshows how the roof is prepared before putting on the mastic. My masticis simply coal-tar and clean, moist sand-moist enough to hold its formwhen pressed by shutting the hand rmly upon it, or about asit-ordinarily comes from the sand-bank-sand or its equivalent in a moiststate. vThis state is essential to success, as dry sand does not formwith coal-tar a mastic that may be kept on any but a iiat surface, andit lacks the strength to resist rain in the fresh state and it does notset quickly. The proportions are about as follows: coal-tar, one part;`moist sand, two

i parts or less.

The foundation is prepared by rmly nailing ordinary building-laths, A A(throwing out knotty and defective,) across the sheath ing-boards B B, apaper, C, or similar substance intervening, which may or may notlreceive a coat of mastic before the laths are nailed upon it. rIhe lathsare nailed so as not to admit of any movement on the boards* say abouttwo or three inches between nails* and are separate from each otherone-half to three-quarters of an inch at the ends; a's well as thesides. This is to allow the mastic to fall between them, so that theirsubsequent shrinkage shall not give rise to leaking. When` all nailed,the mastic is spread on so as to cover the laths to the sixteenth of aninch and fill the spaces. As soon as the laths have shrunk orcontracted, the surface is recoated,

in a thin layer it sets rapidly, and will not run from any surface fromperpendicular to horizontal. Very fine sand makes a mastic withcoal-tar, but in the same proportion would run from an angle offorty-five degrees surface, and would not stay on a perpendicularsurface except in avery thin layer.. Coarse dry sand cannot be made intoa mastic with tar that would -resist the action of rain soon afterspreading, and in the foregoing proportions would run from anything notperfectly flat, and sets or dries slowly.` My simple mixture of moistsand with coal-tarmakes a practicable mastic with ordinary sand, and

of every grade of neness from gravel down. The water which is mixed intoit in this way evaporates, and facilitates the evaporation of thevolatile portions of the tar, so it sets rapidly. Ihe sand is alwaysreadily obtained, and, without artificial preparation, ready for use. Asto the foundatiomthe question of extreme practicability again comes in.The

laths are of course readily obtainable everywhere that houses are built.The ordinary sheathing is put upon the rafters; the paper is laid underthe laths to prevent an opening where the boards contract, as well as tocover interspaces. The lathing upon the boards strengthens the roofimmensely, and the spaces form subsequent receptacles for tar, by whichthe surface under the laths is fed or supplied with the water -proofmaterial till the roof is absolutely perfect. It admits of the use ofmore tar than any other plan,which is a desideratum.

All that this plan of roofing requires different from the materials athand, wherever building is going on, is simply coal-tar. Theseconsiderations make it cheaper and more practicable than any othermethod that would give 2 masas l as heavy and as strong and perfect aroof. This makes a solid and durable roof. The mastic, being clinchedbetween the laths, is not so easily detached, and the laths may be puton wet, just as they are found, Without any previous preparation. Thewhole aim and intention of this plan is to get something eminentlypracticable.

, Another merit of this roof, which may also be mentioned: It is often,and almost always on a new roof, desirable to work over it, more orless, as soon as possible. This may be done immediately with this, asthe most of the mastic is down between the laths, and boards may be laidon for Walking over Without injury to the roof; or by sanding, the sameresult may be obtained.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by- Letters Patent, is-

rIhe within-described composition for mastic roo-fing, consisting` of amixture of coaltar and moist sand, applied substantially in the mannerherein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my handthis 17th day of October, 1870.

JOHN GIPPERLEY.

Vitnesses:

C. L. EVERT, WM. L. ROBINsoN.

